Thursday, 5 January 2017

Mr Stonebowl (石锅先生) - Burwood - Sydney, Australia

Last month my best friend mentioned that there was a popular restaurant in Burwood that opened not too long ago. By popular she meant there were constant queues during peak times every single day and we hear that some have waited up to 3 hours for a table. Now would you be willing to wait up to 3 hours?

Mr Stonebowl is located on busy Burwood Road and a short walk from Burwood train station. It joins an abundance of Chinese restaurants along that strip and with solid competition from adjoining neighbours, there must be something about this restaurant that attracts the crazy lines.

We went on a weekend for lunch to test our luck. While there were a number of diners waiting outside on the footpath for a table, it moved very quickly. Within 10 minutes we were in the door and squished on a table meant for two people.

I am a big a fan of the Malaysian/Singaporean and Hong Kong style of the clay pot rice. My initial reaction was that it was probably similar to this but it was actually the contrary. It isn’t the typical Chinese restaurant that one is accustomed to either. They have a wide selection of dishes to choose from but their specialty is the stonebowls. Your order is placed on a sheet of paper and after the waiter obtains the form, food comes out fast.

This is the most ordered dish here. The ‘Garlic Prawn with Stir Fried Rice in Squid Ink in a Stonebowl ($18.80)’ is a rather unusual looking dish with an odd combination to boot. I would usually associate squid ink with Italian pasta or Spanish paella, not in Chinese food. Taste wise this combination worked very well together. While lacking the crispy rice bits that one would expect from clay pot rice, it definitely delivers on flavour.

The juicy prawns are deep fried in a golden batter and then coated in the delicious creamy garlic sauce.

The rice had a nice and subtle flavour with no hint of fishiness.

The ‘Fried Tofu with Scallop and Vegetables in a Stonebowl ($14.80)’ was another surprise dish. The contents are piping hot and bubbling as it arrives at the table. The soft tofu melts in the mouth and goes well with the squid rice.

‘Stir Fried Green Bean with Shrimp Paste ($11.80)’ was a mediocre dish, nothing special. That’s not to say it wasn’t good but compared to the other two dishes, this was simple.The food at Mr Stonebowl is fresh and delicious with modest portions at affordable prices. I would definitely recommend this restaurant but either go before or after peak hours to avoid the long wait times.Where?185C Burwood RdBurwood NSWAustralia